(A/N: LIVE from an unemployed weekend, it's Draconic Hero Studios! Okay, I don't actually have a studio that was a joke. And while I'm technically unemployed right now, I'm just in a layover period between jobs. I start my new job on the 24th of September. Here's gearing up to finish Battle City before then. We've got six awesome chapters lined up and ready to go. Each duel is outlined. And all that remains for me to really iron out the edges on is the wrap-up chapter, which might need to be split into two pending length, but eh, we'll see.
I do have to bring up something in advance though. I will be covering Yugi Vs Kaiba. While I normally don't retread unchanging ground, there are a few reasons: 1. The other characters are spectating so it's worth having some commentary. 2. Moments of levity are necessary in a series like this. 3. There's a joke lined up in the commentary that makes the whole gag worth it.
So sit back, relax, and let's get started).
When Joey arrived in the elevator, Kaiba was already waiting for him.
"So, you actually decided to show, huh Wheeler?" Kaiba asked with a smug smile. "I thought you'd go running and hiding knowing who you were up against. Or are you that eager to be humiliated on international television."
"Screw you, Kaiba! Joey Wheeler's goin' right for da top."
"I'm afraid that's impossible," Kaiba smiled. "I mean, you are dueling me, after all." He glared. "You're second rate and you'll always be second rate."
"Says you, I made it to the Duelist Kingdom Finals, didn't I?"
"Hmph, and I proved to you back then that if I had been the one dueling you that you wouldn't have made it that far. So, I'll ask again, feel like backing down and sparing yourself the humiliation?"
"In your dreams," Joey barked back. "I'm takin' you down. It's time I put yer stinkin' mug it its place."
"You sure bark a lot for a dog, but that's all you'll ever do. I hope my cameras don't break showing your amateur face all over them."
"Watch it rich boy. Yer gonna be de amateur by de time we're done here."
As Joey and Kaiba took their places on the dueling arena, Yugi and the other spectators stood around watching.
"Think he stands a chance?" Tristan asked Yugi.
"Joey's come a long way since he dueled Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom," Yugi said. "But Kaiba's still a master duelist."
"Wrong," Nagito said with a smile. "He's an Ultimate Duelist. Sorry, Yugi, but I'm afraid Joey doesn't stand a chance."
"You might be right about that," Byakuya said. "Joey is skilled. Even I don't deny that, but Seto Kaiba didn't become the World Champion through anything other than hard work. It would take a miracle for anyone other than a duelist of similar skill to defeat him."
"And what does that make you then?" Celeste asked with a chuckle. "Is a Togami not perfect in every way?"
Byakuya looked uncomfortable. "Yes…well…this is a matter in progress."
Celeste could only laugh.
"Come on, Joey! You can beat this creep!" Mai exclaimed.
"Look good in front of your sister, Joey!" Mahiru cheered.
"You can do it, Joey!" Ibuki shouted. "Woohoo!"
"Do your best, big brother!" Serenity called to him. Joey gave his little sister a thumb's up.
Hajime looked at Chiaki. "Aren't you going to cheer for Kaiba?"
"I think that might upset him. I do support him though," Chiaki admitted.
"Oh. Good. I'm not the only one then," Makoto said, rubbing his head, smiling.
"No hard feelings, right?" Chiaki asked her classmates.
"Course not. You root for who you want to root for, Chiaki, even if he's the total enemy of fun!"
"Hmph," Kaiba deflected Ibuki's insult with but a scowl.
"Kaiba, I know you'll say you won't need it, but good luck anyway," Chiaki said calmly with a smile.
Kaiba smirked. "You're right. This won't take long. But just to give this sniveling puppy a fighting chance, I'm willing to be generous and let him go first."
"You're gonna regret that," Joey said. "Let's do this thing!"
"Let's Duel!" Both declared.
"All right then! I draw!" Joey shouted. He looked at his hand. "Let's go! Armored Lizard in attack mode!"
The blue clad lizard hit the battlefield with a growl, baring its fangs with 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points.
"That's all I'm gonna do this turn."
"Pretty pathetic first turn, Wheeler. It's my turn." Kaiba said, as he went for his deck. "Draw! Perfect. I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered in attack mode!"
The red, winged, fiendish devil creature hit the table with just 100 attack points more than Joey's monster, though they had the same defense.
"Ryu-Kishin Powered, attack! Powered Beam assault!"
Kaiba's monster let fly a mighty beam from its throat, striking Joey's monster in the chest, piercing its armor and sending it right to the graveyard. First blood went to Kaiba as Joey's life points ticked down to 3900.
"You know, I thought you might've changed even a little," Kaiba said, scowling and then raised his voice, "But you're still the same sniveling runt of a two-bit duelist I fought in Duelist Kingdom. Just give up now and I'll spare you the pain and humiliation of being thrashed by me. You're not worth me, you're not even worth Chiaki or Makoto. Either one of them is a better match for you than me and they'd still win!"
"Man, Kaiba's relentless," Tristan sighed.
"Yeah, but look at Joey, he's not backing down," Yugi said.
It was true, the fire in Joey's eyes was still lit.
"You know, I'll be honest, maybe I haven't changed much as a person since Duelist Kingdom, but as a duelist, I've come a long way since my first ever official duel with Mai. Yugi and all a my friends can attest to that. So, I ain't backin' down. No way! I'm fighting straight to the bitter end! Here we go!"
Joey drew his next card. "I summon Warrior Dai Grepher in attack mode!"
Celeste smirked. That was one of the cards she'd given Joey.
"Hmmmmm," Kaiba stared at the card with interest. He did not recall any of Joey's 4-star monsters boasting that kind of power.
"Warrior Dai Grepher, attack!" Joey shouted. "Take out that Halloween Reject!"
With a grunt, Dai Grepher charged forward and bifurcated Ryu Kishin Powered from shoulder to hip, destroying it and evening the score 3900 even.
Kaiba only chuckled. "Well then, I guess the kid gloves are coming off after all. I was going to play casually, so I didn't have to strain the muscles necessary to think to hard," Kaiba said, tapping his skull, "To beat a moron like you. But if you're actually going to go and destroy one of my monsters, maybe you have learned something. All right, Wheeler. Welcome to the dragon's den. You're about to be food!"
Kaiba drew the top card of his deck.
"I summon Vorse Raider, in attack mode!" Kaiba shouted, the 1900 attack point, fiendish creature hit the table with its double-edged weapon. "Vorse Raider, attack Warrior Dai Grepher! Wipe it out!"
Vorse Raider charged and impaled Joey's monster with its weapon and then ripped the weapon straight up through the shoulder, destroying it.
Joey's life points were reduced to 3700.
"Now, I'm setting two cards," Kaiba said. "You're move, Wheeler. Make it count."
"You're darn right I will!" Joey exclaimed as he drew the top card of his deck. "Heh heh. Perfect. I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman in attack mode."
"Did you forget how to do math again?" Kaiba asked.
"NO! Well…maybe. But I know my simple addition and subtraction, like with this magic card: Star Blaster!" A gremlin that looked like a red variant of Joey's skull dice minion, though half of it looked like it belonged to the Graceful Dice fairy, appeared with a red dice in its hand. "Here's how it works, I roll a die and then that number gets added to my monsters level. Then, if I have a monster in my hand equal to the level of a monster a mine on the field, I can summon it immediately. All right, Star Blaster, do your thing!"
Joey's minion rolled a four.
"Aw yeah! Jackpot!"
"Let's see, four and four…so an 8-star monster," Tristan pointed out.
"Did you really need your fingers?" Téa asked in disbelief.
"So now, I sacrifice Masaki the Legendary Swordsman to play my Battleguard King!" In Joey's mind, he could see the astral image of Peko Pekoyama reflected in the large, beefy ogre that now stood on the battlefield. The gigantic monster had 3000 attack points.
Kaiba, however, seemed unimpressed. "So tell me, Wheeler, what was your backup plan if that dice roll had backfired.
"I had a backup plan," Joey said dismissively, clenching a fist and pointing at Vorse Raider. Now go, Battleguard King! Attack!"
"Amateur," Kaiba said, activating a face-down. "I activate the spell card Shrink, cutting your monsters attack points in half as its quite literally cut down to size."
Battleguard King went from being a humongous ogre to a normal sized one with only 1500 attack points and was swiftly decapitated by Vorse Raider. And Joey was now wide open to attack and down to 3300 life points.
"Right then, backup plan! Go, Scapegoat!" Joey exclaimed as the sheep tokens appeared. "Next, I'm settin' two more cards," Joey declared as the face-down holograms appeared. "Turn's over, Kaiba. Your move." Joey's hand was now empty.
"Don't mind if I do," Kaiba said and then coldly held up a spell card for Joey to see. "I think I'll start by activating De-Spell on those cute little sheep tokens you have there."
"Huh? Aw, no!" Joey exclaimed as his sheep tokens vanished into thin air.
Kaiba laughed. "This duel is over before its even started. For now, I summon Blade Knight!"
Kaiba's ever prevalent pale blue armored knight hit the field with 1600 attack points.
"Now, go, Vorse Raider, attack!"
"I don't think so. I activate my trap card, Magical Arm Chain!"
"What the—Hey!" Kaiba exclaimed as Joey's trap card snatched up Blade Knight.
"Hay is for horses and you're about to have a long face as yer Vorse Raider destroys yer own monster."
Vorse Raider cut Blade Knight down to size and Kaiba lost 300 life points, giving him a total of 3600.
Joey grinned. "Told ya I had a backup plan."
Kaiba growled. "I end my turn."
"Sweet. My turn then. I draw," Joey said, plucking the top card of his deck. "We have a winner! I summon Goblin Attack Force!" A bunch of goblins appeared in front of Joey, armed like an angry mob. "Go! Attack Vorse Raider!"
The goblins beat the ever loving crap out of Kaiba's monster as it drowned in a dust cloud of flailing goblin arms and weapons until it was just destroyed.
Kaiba's life points fell to 3200, 100 less than Joey's.
All of Joey's Goblins then started taking a nap, automatically switching to defense mode with 0 defense points.
"Your move, Kaiba," Joey said to him.
"That was a poor move, Wheeler," Kaiba responded. "Allow me to show you why." He drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Spear Dragon!"
Makoto cringed. Oh this was going to suck for Joey. Even if he was rooting for Kaiba, he couldn't help but sympathize with what was about to be Joey's pain.
"Here's a fun fact, Spear Dragon doesn't care whether your monster is in attack or defense mode, it still deals damage. Now go, Spear Dragon! Wipe out Goblin Attack Force."
Spear Dragon's wind breath utterly destroyed Joey's monster, bringing his once healthy life points down to only 1400.
"Huh," Duke said, blinking. "Déjà vu."
Spear Dragon then automatically switched to defense mode.
"Unlike you who doesn't think things through, I still have a worthy face-down that can protect my life points from you pulling the same stunt. This is what separates men from the boys. Or, in your case, the pros from the monkeys."
Joey looked absolutely livid. "You smug little—I'll show you a duelin' monkey!"
"My, my, he certainly is quick to boil. Should've tried that more in our duel," Celeste contemplated.
Joey drew the top card of his deck. With no cards in his hand and only one face-down on the field, this had to be a big winner to help him turn the tide. But, for Joey Wheeler, more often than not, rather than getting straight lucky by drawing a royal flush, he often had to leave things in the hands of fate. A Roll of Fate that is.
Joey grinned. "This is just what I need. Thanks heart of the cards. All right, here goes. I play Roll of Fate." A white die appeared over Joey's head with a Poof! "Whatever number shows up on dis die lets me draw dat many cards, provided I then send that many cards to the card graveyard from the top of my deck afterwards."
"You're relying on a dice roll to recharge your hand. You really are a pathetic little amateur."
"You shut your smug, rich face! Go, Roll of Fate!"
Much to Joey's elation, the die came up 6, allowing Joey to draw 6 cards at the expense of sending 6 to the graveyard. Fortunately, it seemed as though he ended up with a pretty good hand.
"Awesome! All right, let's do dis! I activate the spell card Polymerization and I'm bustin' out another card I got from winnin' my way to da finals, Kaiba. Let's go, First of the Dragons!"
The shadow of Fuyuhiko could be seen cast over the massive blue dragon as it roared onto the field with 2700 attack points.
Kaiba seemed unbothered by this turn of events. Not that Joey noticed. He was all aboard his own hype train.
"I activate Quick Attack, lettin' my monster attack dis turn! First of the Dragons, wipe out Spear Dragon! Ancient Dragon Blast!"
First of the Dragons took in a deep breath and utterly demolished Kaiba's defense mode Spear Dragon.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Kaiba asked, life points untouched.
"You should be. My monsta can only be destroyed or affected by normal monstas."
"Oh really? Is that so? Well then, I have just the card for the job. And if you think rolling a six with some half-baked luck is going to scare me, then let me show you how I can get a much better draw power for far less risk." Kaiba drew the top card of his deck. "First, I summon Lord of Dragons. Next, I set a card. And now, I activate Card of Demise, letting me draw 5 cards from my deck since I have no more in my hand." Kaiba smirked when he saw what was in his hand. It was everything he needed. "I activate the Flute of Summoning Dragon. This allows me to call upon two dragon monsters from my hand. Say hello to two of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"
Two mighty Blue-Eyes hit the field.
"What was that you were saying about how only normal monsters could destroy your precious First of the Dragons. Looks like I have just the dragons for the job," Kaiba glared, "And your luck has run out. Go, Blue-Eyes, attack! White Lightning!"
One of the Blue-Eyes white dragons annihilated Joey's First of the Dragons with its sheer power, reducing Joey's already meager life points to a pitiful 1100.
"Pathetic," Kaiba said. "No monsters and no hope. Allow me to put you out of your misery. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack! White Lightning!"
The other Blue-Eyes opened its mouth and unleashed electrical fury on Joey, blasting him for a direct hit.
"Joey!" Tristan, Serenity, Téa, Duke, Ibuki, Mai, and Yugi shouted at the same time.
"Game over," Kaiba said.
"Not quite," Joey said. When the smoke and mirrors cleared, a trap card was face-up: Good ol' Nutrient Z. "You're not gonna get rid of me that easily."
Joey's life points regulated themselves to 2100.
Celeste let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Joey was lucky," she thought aloud. "If Kaiba had decided to attack with Lord of Dragons instead, he would've been the unassailable victor, but now, Joey gets to live to fight another day."
"Not for long," Kaiba said. "Lord of Dragons, attack Wheeler directly."
Lord of Dragons summoned up a skull dragon head and used it to unleash a flame blast from its mouth, which burned Joey down to 900 life points.
"Not good," Téa lamented.
"Joey's been in tougher scrapes before, he'll pull through," Mai said.
"Yeah, remember his duel with Byakuya? Joey can get out of this!" Ibuki added.
"No, he can't," Nagito stated. "Joey isn't fit to stand on the same stage as Kaiba. He just doesn't have the skill, the hope, or the luck."
"Says you, Joey's a great duelist!" Téa exclaimed indignantly.
"Look, I get it. You all want to root for Joey. It's cute, really it is," Nagito said with a smile. "But he just can't hold up to Kaiba. He's just a stepping stone. Both for Kaiba and for Yugi."
"You take that back!" Yugi snapped. "Joey is my best friend! He's not a stepping stone! All of my friends are precious to me!"
"They support you, right? That's the very definition of a stepping stone. You're the one with all the glory and strength. They help you get there. I don't see any of them defeating Pegasus, now do I?" Nagito asked rhetorically.
Yugi's group thought it was best to just ignore Nagito and keep watching the duel.
They're not stepping stones. My friends are the heart and soul of everything I am, Yugi thought.
Don't listen to Nagito, Yugi. Without our friends we could not accomplish anything. Our accomplishments are their accomplishments, no matter how the world views it, Yami said to him.
Yeah, you're right pal. Yugi then cheered. "Come on, Joey! You can do it! We believe in you!"
Nagito just sighed and shut his mouth. Clearly he wasn't getting anywhere.
"I set one card face-down onto the field," Kaiba said, slapping into the spell/trap slot. "And end my turn."
"Awrite then, here goes!" Joey exclaimed and drew the top card of his deck. Bingo! "I activate Monster Reborn. So say hello to a kaiju that hates to say goodbye, my Thunder King, the Lightning Strike Kaiju!"
"What?!" Kaiba knew the only way that card could be in the graveyard is if Joey sent it there with Roll of Fate. Was it luck? Did he plan this? No, that was impossible! There was no way Joey Wheeler of all people had premediated this idea.
"EHEEHEEHEE! YAHOOOOOO! JOEEEEEEEEEEYYYYY!" Ibuki was so excited. That was the card she gave Joey.
"Thunder King, attack! Take out Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Kaiba twitched a little. The very idea that Joey could utter that second sentence snapped something primal in his neural synapses. He refused to accept that Joey Wheeler could have a monster stronger than his Blue-Eyes. However, as yellow lightning clashed with white, only Joey's monster was left standing and Kaiba's life points fell to 2,900.
Kaiba had no choice, but to admit that maybe Joey had learned something since Duelist Kingdom. But, like every other opponent, except Yugi…and maybe Chiaki, Kaiba was going to crush him under his expensive leather boot like all the others.
"I set one card and end my turn," Joey said, still having one card in his hand. "Let's go, rich boy, your move."
Glaring fiercely, Kaiba snapped at Joey, "You think just because you defeated one of my Blue-Eyes that that automatically makes you better than me?"
Joey sounded quite pleased with himself as he spoke, "I mean, I did just wipe out your favorite monster. Could a two-bit amateur do that?"
Chiaki thought Kaiba was going to scream with the face Kaiba was making, but the World Champion simply took a deep breath and forced a smile. But this was not an inviting smile, oh no. Chiaki, Mokuba and Makoto could all see the fury buried deeply behind Kaiba's expression. "You know what, it's fine. Because it doesn't matter. No matter what you do, Wheeler, you'll always be second-rate, at least compared to me. I don't know where you got such powerful cards or learned such important strategies, but I'm going to show you that none of it matters." Kaiba clenched a fist. "I will crush your pride with the overwhelming might of my deck!"
"Oh yeah? Bring it on!" Joey exclaimed. "Cause Joey Wheeler ain't nobody's fool."
"You're right, you're a magician, and I'm going to make you disappear," Kaiba said and pulled the top card of his deck. "Now watch and learn. I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards." Kaiba looked at his hand after drawing the two. Excellent. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring Blue-Eyes White Dragon back from the graveyard!"
Makoto's jaw dropped. Yeah. This looked bad for Joey. Kaiba bringing back a just defeated Blue-Eyes with three cards left in his hand could only mean one thing.
"Now, I activate Polymerization!" Kaiba declared. "Fusing my great dragons together, the two on the field and the one in my hand! Say hello to Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Kaiba's fiercest dragon hit the table with its almighty 4500 attack points.
"I'll be honest, Wheeler. If there's one thing I admire in you, it's your tenacity, but tenacity only prolongs the inevitable." Kaiba flipped around the last card in his hand, Quick Attack.
"Welp, guess that's that," Mai said, dejected.
"Now, realize why you'll never able to stand up to me. Why I am the master and you're just a dog from the gutters! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack! Neutron Blast!"
Kaiba's magnificent beast unleashed its triple energy blast at Joey's kaiju.
"I can't look," Téa exclaimed, putting her hands over her eyes.
Mahiru, conversely, snapped up a photo.
"Big brother!" Serenity exclaimed.
"Sorry, Kaiba," Joey said, "But sometimes tenacity can be your saving grace. Go, Skull Dice!"
Kaiba's eyes widened. "What?!"
"I think you know what's about to happen. If I roll anythin' other than a one, my monster is stronger den your monster. Go! Skull Dice! Joey needs a lucky roll if ya got one in ya!"
Come on, Joey! Yugi thought.
Kaiba, Nagito thought. I know you'll overcome the despair of the destruction of your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. He'd already figured Joey wasn't going to roll a one. That's the kind of duelist you are.
The result of Skull Dice was a 3, bringing Kaiba's prized dragon down to only 1500 attack points and Joey's kaiju annihilated it with a triple blast of lightning. Kaiba's life points fell all the way to only 1,100.
"Is it over? Can I look?" Téa asked.
"It's fine, Téa," Tristan said, beaming with pride. "Take a look."
Téa uncovered her eyes and saw the score at 1,100 to 900 in Kaiba's favor. "No way! Joey beat Kaiba's Blue-Eyes? And he tied the game? I mean, Kaiba's ahead by a little bit, but…"
"You might want to put your hands on your ears next," Duke said. "Kaiba looks like he's going to be thankful sound isn't being broadcast on international television."
Chiaki, Mokuba, and Makoto watched Kaiba carefully. All three knew how much his Blue-Eyes cards meant to him and to see them destroyed by the duelist he hated most. They seemed to gulp in unison.
Kaiba stood with his eyes shaded by the shadow cast by the sun, shoulders slumped.
"Uh, earth to Kaiba? You okay in there?" Joey asked, wondering if he'd actually done lasting, psychological damage.
"Ha…"
Is he…laughing? Makoto thought.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kaiba laughed. "Well, well, well, since when did the sniveling puppy suddenly turn into a ferocious wolf? I never thought I'd see the day. I can't say I'm proud. Quite frankly every bone in my body is trembling with rage at what you just did."
"So…are you angry…or…" Joey wasn't sure what Kaiba's point was.
"Oh I'm angry, livid in fact, but I meant what I said earlier. I'm not going to let a snot nosed punk like you beat me. No matter how good you've gotten, Wheeler, I'll remind you where you are on the pecking order. After all, for all I know, I'm just having an off game," Kaiba said, shaking his head. "I'm an Ultimate Duelist after all. Even if you've gotten better, even if you've gotten more skilled, I'll always be one step ahead of you."
"One step ahead? Did I or did I not just pulverize your favorite dragon?"
"You did, but remember what I said about holding nothing back?" Kaiba asked. He fanned out his hand and activated a trap card. "This is precisely what I was talking about. I activate Wish of Final Effort! This allows me to gain life points equal to the attack of a monster in my graveyard if it was destroyed by battle this turn. And since Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has 4,500 attack points while it's in my graveyard, that means I gain that many life points." Kaiba's life points surged to 5,600, more than six times Joey's.
"I guess Kaiba had a plan all along," Chiaki said.
"Yeah, but Joey's not gonna surrender just because the odds are stacked against him," Hajime said. "You can see it in his face."
"I'll set Lord of Dragons to defense mode and end my turn," Kaiba stated.
"Course you do," Joey said, smirking. Even though Kaiba had the advantage in life points, Joey had the field presence to make a fierce counterattack and the cards in his hand were exactly what he needed to make Kaiba's defeat all but inevitable in Joey's eyes.
"I summon to the field Gearfried the Iron Knight!" Joey exclaimed as the Iron Knight hit the table. "Now, Gearfried, attack! Destroy Lord of Dragons!"
Kaiba's monster was destroyed by Joey's warrior. And the Brooklyn-accented underdog was unwilling to relent.
"Thunder King, go! Attack Kaiba's life points directly!"
Thunder King reared back its head and unleashed three blasts of lightning onto Kaiba who braced for impact. His high rising life points sunk down to 2300, a more manageable amount for Joey.
"One more attack like dat and it's over Kaiba," Joey said, wiping his thumb across his chin, smirking. Joey then looked at his hand. Kaiba was too strong of an opponent for Joey to risk top-decking a game-changing move. That's when he noticed a trap card he didn't recognize.
Huh? What's dis? I don't remember having this card. Joey looked at the title. Windstorm of Etaqua. Did Frenchy give this to me? He sighed as he plucked the card from his hand. Screw it. She wouldn't steer me wrong with a lame-o trap card. I feel like I know what dis does, but I'm havin' trouble rememberin'. Joey scratched his head.
"Are you going to play a card or are you going to stare at it all day?" Kaiba asked.
"I'm playin' it! I'm playin' it! Yeesh!" Joey exclaimed as the face-down hologram appeared. "Impatient much?"
"I just don't like having my time wasted, a concept an idiot like you could never understand."
As Kaiba drew the top card of his deck and looked at it, Hajime leaned towards Chiaki. "Chiaki, correct me if I'm wrong, but is Kaiba...sweating?"
Chiaki looked at Kaiba carefully. "…I think he is," she said.
"I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."
No monsters, Makoto thought. He did not want to see Kaiba lose. Come on, Kaiba. I know you can do it!
Joey drew the top card of his deck. Rather than play anything, he went right for the attack. "Go! Thunder King! Attack!"
"Not so fast, I activate Negate Attack!" Kaiba exclaimed as Thunder King's attack blasted against a swirling barrier. "This duel is far from over."
"Oh really? Seems to me like yer barely hanging on," Joey grinned.
Kaiba glared and growled.
"Well, whatever. I'm settin' Little Winguard in defense mode," Joey stated as the cartoony looking knight crouched on his side of the field with 1800 defense points. Just in case Kaiba did something foul, Joey wanted to be ready.
Kaiba drew the top card of his deck. "I activate Draconic Insight!" Kaiba declared, holding up a card with a wise looking dragon looking at a textbook. "By placing one dragon type monster in my graveyard on the bottom of my deck, I can draw two cards."
And they were precisely the cards Kaiba needed to turn this duel around. "Next, I activate the spell card Soul Release. This lets me remove five cards in either player's graveyard from the game. And I choose these five from my graveyard!"
"Nyeh? Why are you removing your own monsters?" Joey gawked.
"Because then I play this: Different Dimension Fusion!" Kaiba declared, activating the spell card. "This magic card allows both players to summon as many monsters removed from play back to the field, at the cost of two thousand of my life points," Kaiba said as his life points dropped all the way to 300. He smirked. "Oh, but you don't seem to have any. Luckily I just emptied my graveyard so say hello to these! Come forth! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! All of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons and Vorse Raider!"
Kaiba now had a full field of five monsters, four of which were very hungry looking, powerful dragons.
"Blue-Eyes and Blue-Eyes Ultimate?" Yugi gasped, eyes wide with terror.
"Technically it's possible. Those monsters were in the graveyard as per the rule of fusion summoning," Byakuya pointed out.
"Joey!" Mai and Téa called to him simultaneously.
"Not good! Seriously, not good!" Ibuki panicked.
Celeste gnashed her teeth together. The Queen of Liars appeared to be in pain if one looked at her face.
"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba shouted. "Take out Wheeler's Thunder King along with the rest of his life points!"
As the attack barreled forward, Joey's face was one of just pure shock and terror. Witnessing this, Celeste's rage boiled to a crescendo and she shouted angrily, "Don't you dare lose, you fool!"
Hearing Celeste's voice was enough to stimulate Joey's brain and made his eyes go wide with epiphany. I remember!
Hitting the button on his duel disk, Joey activated his face-down card.
Just as Kaiba thought the duel was over for what was the third time so far, a powerful, green wind storm blew away Blue-Eyes' attack and all of Kaiba's monsters were beginning to go from battle hungry to looking guarded.
"What's happening? Why are my monsters going into defense mode?"
Joey wiped his brow. "Phew! Glad I remembered how that worked." The artwork of his trap card of crows against a green tornado was visible for all to see. "My trap card is called Winstorm of Etaqua. It switches all monsters on the field into defense mode. Even if an attack is in progress. Looks like I just bought myself one more turn, rich boy," Joey said with a sly smirk.
Kaiba could only growl. "Why would you have a trap card in your deck that you don't remember how to activate?"
"Frenchy's been givin' me some pointers since she got booted outta da tournament," Joey said, wiping a finger along the underside of his nose. He grinned. "I'm not the best student, but she's a great teacher. And she may or may not have helped me with somma the cards in my deck."
Kaiba smiled. "I see. I wondered how such a meager duelist like you was suddenly pushing me back. So your deck got an upgrade. You might not be a completely worthless duelist after all. Still, pathetic, but not worthless." Kaiba glared. "That just means I have to take you on as an actual threat. I hope you're prepared for the consequences because they will be ugly."
"Bzzt," Joey smirked. "Oh I'm sorry, but your turns pretty much over what with no cards in your hand and all your monsters in defense mode. And mine is just beginning. I draw!" Joey put the top card of his deck in his hand. "Aw yeah! Here we go! I sacrifice Thunder King, Gearfried and Little Winguard in order to play The Wicked Dreadroot!"
From the sky, black lightning struck the battlefield as a green, hulking behemoth of unmatched power, wearing an armor made of skulls hit the table.
So, he managed to summon it. I was wondering if it would appear this duel.
All of Kaiba's monsters' power was cut in half.
"Wicked Dreadroot, attack!" Joey exclaimed. "Take out Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
With a fist imbued with dark energy, the mighty wicked god struck Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the chest, shattering it and standing tall next to Joey's side.
Kaiba smirked. "Looks like the puppy dog's teeth finally grew in." I can't back down now. Next turn, whatever I draw will go straight to the graveyard because of Card of Demise. I have to draw it now! I have to bring out a god of my own!
Kaiba drew the top card of his deck and a loud thunderclap seemed to herald the arrival of another titan to the battlefield. The blimp actually hit turbulence, shaking the spectators from their otherwise flatfooted stances.
"Ah!" Chiaki tumbled one way, but Hajime caught her, hands firmly on her shoulders. "Thanks," she said.
"Your leg okay?" he asked her.
"It's fine, thank you," Chiaki said and stood upright again.
"Wheeler," Kaiba said as he looked at Obelisk in his hand. "The fact that you've pushed me to such an extent, I guess it's true what they say, every dog has its day. Too bad your day in the sun is still going to end in your demise. Now watch as I sacrifice all of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons to summon one of the most powerful cards in all of Duel Monsters! Go, Obelisk the Tormentor!"
Obelisk was summoned at the expense of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes as it hit the table standing even in height and girth to Wicked Dreadroot.
"Heh heh, I think someone forgot about Wicked Dreadroot's special ability. Every monster on the field gets its attack power cut in half except him."
Obelisk's attack and defense fell to 2000 each.
"I didn't forget," Kaiba smirked. "After all, who can hardly blame Obelisk? Traffic was awful and he's feeling a bit sick, but he'll feel better after I end my turn."
Joey seemed confused. "Whaddya mean?"
"Do you really think a special effect like that would affect Obelisk for long? I admit, it's a powerful effect, but Obelisk, much like your monster, is a god, an almighty god with virtually no equal! While his attack power can be changed, it doesn't change for very long. So even though Wicked Dreadroot's effect is ever present," Kaiba pointed rudely at Joey. "It'll only affect Obelisk on the turn he is summoned. And now my turn," Kaiba said as he shifted his extended arm to make a thumb's down. "Is over."
Obelisk's eyes glowed as its power returned to normal. A true clash of the titans was now underway.
Mahiru, of course, snapped up a photo.
Joey growled in frustration. "Oh well," he said as he drew the top card of his deck. "I can still attack your remainin' monster with mine. Wicked Dreadroot! Take out Vorse Raider!"
Joey's monster slammed into Vorse Raider, utterly wrecking it. "Guess I'll end my turn." Kaiba's only hangin' on by 300 life points. I could win dis. All I gotta do is chip him somehow. Just gotta dig deep and see this through. I'll win dis, Kaiba, then you'll have no choice, but to acknowledge my skill as a duelist!
Nagito saw the fire in Joey's eyes and could only sigh at the sight. Poor Joey, he has no idea that no matter how hard he tries, Kaiba will always be better than him. Now matter how much polish you give it, a stepping stone is still a stepping stone.
On Kaiba's turn, he had no choice, but to pass due to the aftereffects of Card of Demise. Wicked Dreadroot and Obelisk stared each other down, both hungry to wage war with their fists.
Joey drew the top card of his deck. "I set a card and end my turn."
Now Kaiba was back in action, able to draw again, but he would be top decking for the remainder of the duel. "I set a card and end my turn."
"The tension on that battlefield is so stretched out it's like a guitar string," Mai said.
"I know right! If I named a song over this situation I'd call it Countdown to a Clash of Fists!" Ibuki exclaimed.
"Remind me to never purchase the album that song is on," Byakuya said rudely.
On Joey's turn, he broke the stalemate. "I'm summoning Rocket Warrior in attack mode!"
By Joey's own monster's effect, Rocket Warrior's attack was cut in half to 750.
"What is Joey thinking?" Tristan exasperated. "That puny thing doesn't stand a chance against Obelisk and Joey doesn't have the life points to burn to withstand an assault."
"No, Joey has a plan. Or are you too dimwitted to remember Rocket Warrior's special ability?" Celeste asked.
"Rocket Warrior," Joey said. "Transform to invincible mode! Invincible attack!"
Rocket Warrior slammed into Obelisk's chest, the result of which dropped Obelisk's attack points to 3,500, just low enough for Wicked Dreadroot to finish the job.
"Wicked Dreadroot, attack!" Joey shouted. "Finish the—" Joey was cut off by a loud, screeching sound as Kaiba laughed.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my spell card, Command Silencer! This card nulls any attack order given when it's activated," Kaiba smirked. "Looks like you're out of luck again!"
"Well if you think so why don't you try attacking, rich boy!" Joey shouted.
"I think I will," Kaiba said, "Obelisk, attack Wheeler's Rocket Warrior and end this duel!"
"Not so fast, cause I activate my Silver Dollar trap card. Since Rocket Warrior is weakened by my buddy Wicked Dreadroot, he can't be destroyed this turn and I don't take battle damage if he's attacked either."
Obelisk's fist impacted against a giant silver dollar and neither Joey nor his Rocket Warrior were affected by the attack.
Kaiba actually chuckled. "Well, color me impressed. Most trap cards wouldn't stop Obelisk, but that's one of the few that does."
Chiaki suddenly saw Hajime out with a notepad, scribbling.
"Hajime?"
"If it's not affecting the god card, it can still work," he seemed to be thinking aloud, matching his pen strokes with his thoughts.
"What are you doing?" Chiaki asked.
"Huh? Oh. Well, you know, I'm up against all of the god card holders in the semi-finals. I figured I should start cataloguing any weak points or survival tactics against them. After all, if I want to win, I can't let unpredictability and a lack of preparation do me in, right?"
"Yes, I agree," Chiaki smiled. She was so proud of him. He was taking this seriously. He was studying his opponents and doing his best to come up with a counterstrategy. Chiaki found herself falling deeper and deeper in love with Hajime.
"I guess I'll set a card and end my turn," Kaiba said. "Care to try your luck again, Wheeler?" Kaiba asked.
"You're damn right I do!" Joey exclaimed as he pulled the top card off of his deck. "Go, Rocket Warrior! Invincible attack!"
"Not this time! Go, Invisible Wire!"
A bunch of invisible wires slashed up Rocket Warrior and wiped it clear off the field.
"What happened?" Joey gasped.
"Invisible Wire destroys any monster attacking it if that monster has 2,000 or fewer attack points. Guess that leaves us both at a stalemate yet again, one that I truly plan to overturn."
"You wish. I'm settin' a card and ending my turn."
Nagito sighed. This was starting to get boring for him. Kaiba had already won in his eyes and he couldn't understand why Joey desired to struggle so pointlessly.
Kaiba drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse!" Kaiba's ever helpful 1700 attack point sea serpent hit the table in attack position.
"Time to bring down the curtain," Kaiba said. "Go, Obelisk! Attack Wicked Dreadroot!"
What happened next was truly a spectacle. Obelisk punched forward and slammed a sweeping uppercut into Wicked Dreadroot's face. Wicked Dreadroot then slammed a powerful right hook into Obelisk's face. Obelisk retaliated with a claw strike down the front of Wicked Dreadroot, who retaliated with a skull armored headbutt. Obelisk recoiled as Wicked Dreadroot rammed its skull into Obelisk's chest. However, Obelisk then grabbed its shoulders and managed to chuck Wicked Dreadroot into the air with immense effort. It then fired a beam from the jewel embedded in its forehead. Wicked Dreadroot fired a beam of black energy from its throat as the two attacks connected in a glorious beam struggle. The two attacks could not gain any advantage on each other and the blue and black energy just exploded in a huge mushroom cloud that engulfed the entire blimp in a holographic explosion and a bright flash of white light. Both monsters were caught up in the blast and dissolved into tiny atoms from the blast and disappeared, leaving the life points of both players completely untouched.
"WOOHOO! Do it again! Do it again! Do it again!" Ibuki cheered.
"Sorry, but I think that was a one hit wonder," Celeste chuckled and then chuckled more at her own pun.
"No one thinks you're as funny as you seem to," Tristan said to her.
"I thought it was clever," Mahiru said, trying not to burst out into a fit of giggles. "One hit wonder. I get it."
"Tch, how childish," Byakuya said, turning his head.
"Um, guys, the duel isn't over yet," Makoto pointed out. After all, Kaiba still had Kaiser Seahorse on the field.
"Oh, crap," Ibuki sweated, having said the words in the quietest voice she'd uttered in years.
"Kaiser Seahorse, attack!" Kaiba shouted. "Wipe out the rest of Wheeler's life points and end this duel!"
"Nyeh! Activating Hyper Refresh!"
Joey's spell card activated just in time for him to get thrust with Kaiser Seahorse's trident and knocked down onto his ass. "Nnnnnnn…"
Joey's life points were now at a miserable 100.
"Still not down for good, huh? Hyper Refresh, that card doubles your life points when your life points are lower than the combined attack of all monsters on the field. Not bad, but," Kaiba said as Kaiser Seahorse swung its trident in Joey's general direction. "You'll have to take out a powerful monster like Kaiser Seahorse in order to avoid being destroyed!"
"Nngh, don't think I can't do it," Joey said, getting to his feet. He drew the top card of his deck. "I play Arduous Decision." Joey then pulled two cards from the top of his deck and held them up, backs facing Kaiba. "You get to pick one of two cards and if what I'm holdin' is a monster card I get to summon it, but if it's anything else, both go right to the graveyard."
"A fifty-fifty chance, huh? You really do rely on luck right up to the end."
"Luck's a part of skill."
"No. It isn't. You use it in place of skill. That's why I don't like you. Well, that and your stupid haircut and dumb accent."
"Hey!" Joey shouted.
Kaiba laughed. "I pick your right hand."
"Sure about that?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
Joey smirked. "All right then. Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner and his name is Joey Wheeler. Go, Flame Swordsman!"
Out came Joey's favorite monster with 1800 attack points and 1600 defense points. "Flame Swordsman, attack! Flaming Sword of Battle!"
Joey's monster brought its weapon down onto Kaiser Seahorse's Trident, melting and then breaking the weapon before slashing Kaiba's monster in the shoulder.
Kaiba's life points fell to 200.
"How's zat Kaiba?"
"Annoying, just like the rest of you," Kaiba said. He drew the top card of his deck. This'll help. "I activate Silent Doom, bringing Blue-Eyes White Dragon back from my graveyard!"
"Nyeh? Blue-Eyes?" Joey panicked.
"Relax," Kaiba said as his dragon appeared and curled around him. "He's just here to give a friendly hello. Monsters summoned with Silent Doom can't attack, even if they're switched back to attack position, but they start summoned in defense mode. But as long as I have my Blue-Eyes protecting me, your pathetic swordsman can't defeat me."
"We'll see about dat," Joey said and drew the top card of his deck. "Awww yeah, Salamandra!" Joey activated the spell card boosting his Flame Swordman's attack points up to 2500, even with Blue-Eyes' defense.
Just one more spell card and I can wipe out Kaiba's Blue-Eyes. I can win dis! Joey's heart started pounding. Could he do it? Could he actually beat Seto Kaiba.
Kaiba drew the top card of his deck. "I set a card," he said. "Switch Blue-Eyes White Dragon to attack position and end my turn."
"Awrite den, here goes!" Joey drew the top card of his deck. Heh heh, perfect! I activate Lightning Blade. By giving my swordsman here anotha weapon, he's strong enough to take out your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Flame Swordsman, with fire and lightning at his disposal, now had 3300 attack points, just enough to kill Kaiba.
"I don't think so!" Kaiba shouted. "I activate the trap card Burst Breath! At the expense of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I can destroy all of the monsters you currently have on the field with less defense than its attack."
"What?!"
"Too bad," Kaiba said, smirking. "Seems luck runs out in the end. Blue-Eyes! Attack!"
Kaiba's trap card wiped the field clean, leaving Joey with only one card in his hand: Dragon Nails and a fat load of good they did him right now. Should he bluff? Would that work? Well, he had nothing to lose. "one card face-down and I end my turn."
Kaiba drew the top card of his deck and sighed. Well, with a mostly open field, it was better than nothing. "I guess I have no choice. I summon Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode."
Faces all across the spectators reflected the same three words, "Excuse me, what?"
"A clown? You played a clown?"
"Well what better way for a joke and a punchline?" Kaiba asked. "Besides, if you happen to be bluffing, then this duel is over! Saggi! Attack! Shadow blast!"
With a trollish grin, the demonic clown raised its hands and gathered a big ball of dark energy.
"Joey's got this, right you guys? He's got a face-down so he can win, right?"
"No," Yugi said as he looked at the resolute, calm expression on Joey's face. "Unfortunately, this time, Joey's only bluffing."
BANG!
The blast from Saggi was released and slammed into Joey for 600 points of damage, taking out what little remained of his life points. Not exactly the big finish everyone was anticipating, but it served its purpose.
"Arrrrrgh! I was so close!" Joey lamented, smacking his forehead and grabbing at his hair.
"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," Kaiba said. "Now hand over Wicked Dreadroot."
"Yeah, yeah," Joey said with a sigh, handing the card over to its rightful winner. Kaiba promptly pocketed it. He then walked away without another word to the end of the arena as it lowered to be even with the specators.
"Yugi," Kaiba glared at him. "You're next."
With a flash it was Yami now out and in control. "Sorry, Kaiba, but when we duel I cannot afford to lose to you. Not now, not ever."
"Spare me your fairytales about destiny and whatnot. We will duel and I will win. This is my tournament and this is my triumph. Even at his absolute best Joey Wheeler still can't beat me. He only got so close because I underestimated him for too long. But in the end he's still nothing! And when I beat you, the whole world will understand which of us is truly number one!"
"Yugi's not going to lose to you!" Téa shouted.
"He will because there's only room in this world for one best duelist, an Ultimate among ultimates, and that's me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure our pilots get us to our final destination safely."
Joey sighed and approached his friends.
"Hey, man, you all right? You look exhausted," Tristan said to him.
"Can't believe it. After all dat I still lost."
"Then get better," Celeste said.
Joey looked at her.
"You've far from reached your full potential as a duelist Joey. No one can say they have. Even Kaiba has to keep sharpening his skills to stay ahead," she said to him.
"Celeste is absolutely right," Yami said with an amicable smile. "Do not let your loss to Kaiba discourage you, Joey. You fought valiantly. To have come so far and to not give up, I'd say you have what it takes to be a true duelist."
Joey took a deep breath and smiled. "Thanks, Yug." With another deep breath, Joey then shouted. "All right! Who's hungry cause I could go for a deep dish meat lovers pizza and a foot long chili cheese dog."
"You're going to make yourself sick eating like that," Mai said to him.
"Eh, I can deal with a stomach problem. Not like I gotta worry about vomiting all over the battlefield anymore."
Yami only smiled a bit wider.
Joey's taking it well, Yugi thought.
Indeed, Yami thought back as he watched Joey give smiles to Serenity, Mahiru and Ibuki, acting like nothing was wrong.
We should work on our deck for the semi-finals. If this round taught us anything, I don't think we're just going to duel Hajime right out of the gate and leave Marik to Kaiba, Yugi said to his alter ego.
I agree. There's no telling what Kaiba might do to determine the order of the semi-finals, Yami said. We should be ready for anything.
One by one the remaining three of the four finalists still above deck, Hajime, Yugi, and Marik, headed back below deck to prepare for the semi-finals. The blimp flew onward towards KaibaCorp. Island, the large white tower of which would act as the final frontier for Kaiba's Battle City tournament.
For Kaiba, victory was for his pride.
For Marik, victory was for his ambition.
For Yugi, victory was for the fate of the world.
And for Hajime, victory was for his own self-worth and a promise. He promised to stop Marik for Chiaki's sake. He promised to keep winning, to go as far as he could, for his own sake. And no matter who he dueled next, be it Kaiba, Marik, or Yugi, he would not back down. Because that was the heart that beat inside Hajime's eternal duelist's soul.
(A/N: Yeah, a foregone conclusion if we ever saw one, but man oh man Joey just refused to quit XD. Next time is the 4-way duel to determine the order of the semi-finals. I know I already said what's in store, but for those who forgot, I'm not repeating it here. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out and ready before Wednesday, but I'll see what I can do. Until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)